Monday, July 8, 2013

My 4th of July Weekend

This must have been one of the most fun, relaxing weekends I've had in recent memory! My Theta sister and I drove over to the Eastern Shore to visit my parents for a 4-day weekend. It was glorious. For one, the weather was perfect. Sure, it was hot, but no hotter than Maryland usually is in the summer. There was always blue sky, just a couple of white, puffy clouds in sight, and a gentle breeze caressed your skin every once in a while. Needless to say, we spent as much time as we could outside. We played tennis 3 out of the 4 mornings, twice playing doubles with my parents and once was just my friend and I at Cross Courts in Easton on their clay courts. Again, tennis is a great social game, and it was good to get more practice in! Plus, it was only fitting to play tennis when Wimbledon was happening at the same time "across the pond."We also visited Adkins Arboretum to walk the dogs along the wooded and meadow paths. While we were there we found wild blackberry bushes and tasted the sun-kissed delicacies. It felt like the epitome of summer!

We also enjoyed some delicious meals in the sunshine. We ate several meals on my parents' back porch, and one afternoon we went to the Crab Deck in Kent Island to have some yummy seafood (blue crabs, of course!). And we can't forget the "bucket" of fruity deliciousness that gave each of us a buzz almost instantly.

Sunbathing was also on the menu, spending an hour each afternoon on the porch snacking on cherries (my favorite summer fruit!) and ice pops while we bronzed (our shoulders got plenty of color during tennis, but what about the rest of our bodies?). We had a fan going to keep us sane in the humidity, and each of us now has nice tan lines to show off (or to keep a secret...Insert winky face here). One morning we did a little shopping in an outlet mall, so we got to be in the sun between stores as well. We were very successful in our conquest: I bought several pairs of jeans (it's so hard for me to find jeans I like!), two skirts, a blouse for work, and some cut-offs that I'll rock for the rest of the summer; my friend also bought several outfits that will be perfect for work. We made off with so much loot, and that was only from three stores! Now that's what a shopping expert looks like!

And of course I can't forget to mention the fireworks we saw on Independence Day! We went to a park in historic Chestertown, and it really was the perfect place to see fireworks. We laid out on this grassy lawn with many other spectators (though all were well behaved), and we laid there as the sky became darker and the bats started to flit about. Once the show started, we were completely captivated. The fireworks were just above our heads over the water; the variety of shapes, sizes, and colors was tremendous. Last year I stood in Adams Morgan to watch the fireworks in DC, and this year was much better! Laying on a blanket staring at the stars and show was definitely an upgrade!

So, I spent a 4-day weekend (which really felt like a week we packed so much in and had so much fun!) with my family, one of my best friends, and had amazing whether. Life could not get better!!!